Well, to begin with a downer...

I don't drink anymore. As a result, when I have a headache and shaking hands, it means I'm sick. I have slightly more money, slightly more scruples, and despite a serious problem -- unlike most people, I liked the taste of beer and whiskey right from the beginning, so I miss the tastes and textures -- have made the adjustment reasonably well.

But, if you're not a drunk, beer is a good thing. It is possible to brew nonalcoholic beer that tastes good, by the way -- Clausethaler is a bad example, but the Becks and St Pauli products are ok as is the alcohol free Paulaner. The best I drank in Germany was from a small brewery in the Spessart Mountains that I really enjoyed.

So, what is the old man babbling about? Well, Ethiopia. I actually had a close Ethiopian friend in Seattle named Joseph Roberts. Joseph is an interesting guy -- was one of the Ethiopian baby orphans in the early 70s when they were in vogue, and both he and his sister were adopted by a couple of British Academics on their way to Hong Kong. Classic Ethiopian profile, looked like you might imagine Johnson's Rasselas. Oxbridge Accent, Harvey Mudd trained scientist, Microsoft millionaire and one of the nicest and brightest people I've ever known. Retired and has a few oddball hobbies like taking care of the poor in Seattle and running some business in Guinea off and on. Had to show him how to polish shoes after he came back from one trip with some fairly expensive things ruined, he thought, by the dust he couldn't get out. Talk to an old soldier about how to clean shoes...of course, now that the boots are all rough side out, spit polishing will go the way of the bullet molds...

I asked him once why he hadn't gone back to Ethiopia to start his business, and he explained that the clan structure made it impossible for an Ethiopian who was not affiliated with a clan -- and since he was an orphan, he wasn't -- to do much of anything. He also talked badly about the way the French had left their territories, saying in effect that this was a case of the Marcus Aurelius mode, things so fucked up that his contributions however small to the people of Guinea were having a pretty good impact.

Ok, why am I reminiscing? Well, it appears some Bavarian fellow got tired of Merkel and the Osties ( East Germans who actually spend a lot of time lamenting the loss of the Stasi, Marcus Wolff, Soviet masters and brainwashing of children) and moved to Adis Ababa to open an authentic German Braueri, complete with a German trained Ethiopian Braumeister. I think that is kind of cool -- speaking of which, this is an authentic rural German summer drink that is a helluva lot better than it sounds. Take a good strong Pilsner and mix it with equal parts 7 Up and/or lemonade. I used to prefer it with lemonade and mineral water. Still occasionally will do it with an alcohol free beer, although most of them are either too expensive (German) or too weak-bodied to handle it. Called a Radler or a Radler-Weiss, it will while away the afternoon. 

Comments

[Bondage]

Its pretty nice to hear the songs of late late 60's :)

[drip]

I feel a little like Mel in Flight of the Conchords, but under cover of the spambots I'll chance a lonely, human-ish comment. As it happens, I am finishing up 2 weeks in Köln, Germany. I didn't drink for about 20 years. In that time I never bothered with non-alcoholic beer, so I have no idea about it but I have rediscovered beer and found that it doesn't have to be a path to oblivion, especially if it is brewed locally by folks who know what they are doing. Unfortunately, most of what is passed off as micro brews or whatever in the US is overdone and not worth the effort to locate it, let alone drink it. Yes, it is better than the made-for-national-distribution brands, but even the Narragansett and Harvard I drank in Worcester (way, way after you did) was better than that stuff, even if my memory is a little clouded. Here, they serve Kölsch everywhere with pride of brand and with a fanatical loyalty. The loyalty has been earned over 700 years and while the citizens acknowledge Bavarian beer, they don't consider Bavaria Germany, nor its beer worth bothering with. Of course, it will be the best beer ever made in Addis Ababa, so I wish the gentleman well.

As for the lemonade idea, well, if you like it, drink it. But I made the mistake of drinking one with grapefruit my second day here to be polite to the very cordial mother of my friend. I finished it, but I didn't ask for another. I will while away my time with Gaffel, Früh, Reiisdorf, or one of the other Kölsch. And the music you find is still good, so keep it up.

[Christopher Flores]

Hi guys, I'm a long lost friend of Joseph Roberts. He was present for the birth of my son 12 long years ago but we have since lost touch. Do you know how I can get a hold of him? I've been trying to track down my buddy for years... Would you mind passing him my email address?

[Crusader AXE]

Unfortunately, I lost touch with Joseph a long time ago. Sorry.

[Generic Viagra]

I am in hard decision because I have been investing a lot of money in my drinking habit so, probably if I reduce the amount of alcohol and I would have more money.

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Had to show him how to polish shoes after he came back from one trip with some fairly expensive things ruined, he thought, by the dust he couldn't get out. Talk to an old soldier about how to clean shoes...of course, now that the boots are all rough side out, spit polishing will go the way of the bullet molds...

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